Res. No. 645
Resolution calling on the United States Congress to repeal the nutrition provisions in H.R.1 of the 119th Congress, the “One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBA) that create obstacles to access federal food assistance and restrict eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
By Council Members Epstein, Cabán, Farías, Won, Riley, Avilés, Brewer, Lee, Louis, Dinowitz, Narcisse, Schulman, Maloney and Hankerson
Whereas, On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Act” (OBBA), a large package of provisions that includes significant changes in SNAP eligibility, both reducing those who are eligible and adding barriers to access SNAP with expanded work requirements; and
Whereas, The Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) became a permanent program in 1964 through the Food Stamp Act for the purpose of providing food benefits to low-income families to afford nutritious meals; and
Whereas, The SNAP program served approximately 42 million Americans in the first eight months of fiscal year 2025, and New York had an average of 2.96 million SNAP recipients in fiscal year 2025; and
Whereas, SNAP provided benefits for households with a net monthly income below 130 percent of the federal poverty level and with benefit amounts corresponding to household size and 30 percent of household net income; and
Whereas, A 2025 Harvard Kennedy School briefing reports more than 42 million Americans purchase food each month with the help of SNAP; and
Whereas, A USDA 2024 report on SNAP usage finds that the SNAP program primarily serves working and fixed income households, low- wage households, and individuals of all racial and ethnic backgrounds and is a critical lifeline for participants; and
Whereas, OBBA adds additional work requirements and requires adults without a disability who have children aged 14 or older to work, participate in training, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month to receive SNAP benefits for more than three months in the available three-year period; and
Whereas, Expanding the work requirements for parents with school-aged children who reach the age threshold introduces a new challenge for SNAP recipients with dependents as these parents now must balance the demands of working, consistently tracking and reporting their hours, and attending to their children's daily needs; and
Whereas, A 2026 Journal of American Health Association report states that Veterans, those experiencing homelessness, and youth aging out of foster care, populations that were previously exempt from the working requirements, continue to experience varying systemic barriers to entry into the workforce, including high vulnerabilities to poverty and unemployment, which exacerbate food insecurity; and
Whereas, The National WIC Association reports that restrictions on SNAP eligibility indirectly affect WIC enrollment through adjunctive eligibility, as families previously could qualify for the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by demonstrating participation in income-based programs such as SNAP and Medicaid; and
Whereas, WIC was authorized in 1972 to address the additional nutritional needs of low-income pregnant women, infants, and preschool children; and
Whereas; In FY 2024, the New York State Comptroller reports that more than 437,000 women, infants, and children participated in WIC in New York State, with 50 percent located in New York City, thus the new eligibility requirements will severely affect a significant number of vulnerable residents; and
Whereas, Under OBBA, individuals who are considered non-citizens under federal law but lawfully reside in the United States, including those who sought asylum under refugee laws or other emergency humanitarian conditions, are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits; and
Whereas, the Center for Migration Studies found that in 2023, the share of legal non-citizens in New York City was 26 percent and this specific group experienced a 20.6 percent poverty rate; and
Whereas, legal non-citizens, including green card holders and other legally present immigrants, are an integral part of New York City’s population, yet they remain vulnerable to food insecurity and even greater risk given the OBBA exclusion; and
Whereas, OBBA removes internet costs from the Standard Utility Allowance, which previously allowed households to include internet service fees in the calculation of housing and utility costs used for determining the size of household SNAP benefits; and
Whereas, Removing internet utility costs from the SNAP net income calculation endangers applicants who rely on home internet for work, job searching, or job training, and forces them to choose between food and internet access; and
Whereas, OBBA also eliminates automatic qualification for the SNAP Standard Utility Allowance for households receiving energy assistance through the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) unless the household includes an elderly or disabled member; and
Whereas, In FY 2025, the New York State Comptroller’s Office reported that 1.7 million people in the State were authorized to receive benefits from LIHEAP, and due to OBBA eligibility changes, a substantial number of vulnerable households, who once depended on the streamlined process, are now at risk of losing critical food assistance or experiencing delays and complications in obtaining SNAP support; and
Whereas, A 2026 NY Health Foundation report states that in 2024 876, 645 low-income New Yorkers, who were likely eligible, were not enrolled in SNAP, indicating an existing gap in SNAP enrollment; and
Whereas, According to the NY Health Foundation, the provisions in OBBA put 300,000 New York households at risk of losing their SNAP benefits at the end of 2026; and
Whereas, There is a greater share of the population relying on SNAP benefits in New York, 14.8%, compared to 12.3% in the entire United States according to a 2026 report by the Food Research and Action Center; and
Whereas, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s eligibility reductions disproportionately harm New Yorkers by reducing food assistance, increasing the risk of food insecurity and hunger in a state with high costs of living and food, and further limiting low-income households already struggling with affordability; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to repeal the nutrition provisions in H.R.1 of the 119th Congress, the “One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBA), that create obstacles to access federal food assistance and restrict eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
LS #25988
SAE
9/14/26 11:40 AM